UAE-based office furniture giant Bafco on Monday broke ground on a 245,000 sq ft facility at Dubai Industrial City, which is expected to boost its production output from 50,000 furniture units to 150,000 units annually.

A Dubai-based central trading hub for office furniture since 1991, Bafco, will benefit from the new centralised headquarters and manufacturing facility, with lead times for clients expected to drop to under two weeks from the previous two months, said a top official.

Khosrow Fattahi, Bafco managing director, said, "The connection of our disparate operations is of paramount importance to Bafco’s continued success and we are excited to be expanding and moving forward, particularly during these challenging times, when many companies are retracting."

"Our facility will be a multi-storey unit with warehouse, factory, showroom and offices all operating as the central hub," he added.

“Dubai Industrial City was chosen after careful review because of the integrated services and facilities it provides in addition to its strategic location, with its proximity to the new Al Maktoum airport, Jebel Ali free zone and Abu Dhabi which will allow us to serve the entire UAE from one location.”

Rashid Al Ansari, vice-president, Dubai Industrial City, a member of Tecom Investments, said, “The company’s decision to locate their factory in the destination reinforces our vision of providing the industrial sector with a cost competitive environment that is supported by world class business processes and a host of ancillary facilities and services.”-TradeArabia News Service